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I’d like to introduce another book to you. I am not familiar with this author but after reading this excerpt, I am intrigued and am going to try to find a way to find time to read these books! If you read them, or have read any of her books, let me know what you think.

Synopsis:

The performance finished in a flourish of technical brilliance and the young man rose from the harpsichord to a storm of applause.

Julian Langham was poised on the brink of a dazzling career when the lawyers lured him into making a catastrophic mistake. Now, instead of the concert platform, he has a title he doesn’t want, an estate verging on bankruptcy … and bewildering responsibilities for which he is totally unfitted.And yet the wreckage of Julian’s life is not a completely ill wind. For Tom, Rob and Ellie it brings something that is almost a miracle … if they dare believe in it.Meanwhile, first-cousins Arabella Brandon and Elizabeth Marsden embark on a daring escapade which will provide each of them with a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The adventure will last only a few weeks, after which everything will be the way it was before. Or so they think. What neither of them expects is for it to change a number of lives … most notably, their own.And there is an additional complication of which they are wholly unaware. The famed omniscience of the Duke of Rockliffe.

Doctor Featherstone had first met Julian Langham six weeks after his arrival in the district and mere days since – to everybody’s astonishment – he had given a home of sorts to the three illegitimate offspring of his predecessor.

That meeting lived in Paul’s mind. It had been raining. Soaked to the skin and as white as his shirt, Lord Chalfont had arrived at his door carrying an unconscious boy, wrapped up in his own coat. He’d said, “Please … he fell and I don’t know what to do.”

“Fell?” Having taken the child inside and laid him on the table in his surgery, Paul had begun checking for broken bones. “Where?”

“In the hall. He was sliding down the bannister and – and he fell.” Julian had swallowed hard, looking as if he wanted to vomit. “About eight feet, on to the flagstones.”

“Well, he doesn’t appear to have broken anything so it’s likely he’s just … ah.” The child had groaned, eyelids fluttering. “He’s starting to come round. Which one is he?” And when his lordship hadn’t immediately replied, “What is his name?”

What Paul had seen was that the new earl’s teeth were chattering with cold and shock … and that he looked on the verge of both physical and mental collapse. He’d concluded that, whoever this man was, he wasn’t what anyone had been expecting; and in the months since then, he’d had no reason to change this opinion.

“They baffle me,” said Julian suddenly.

The abrupt words brought Paul’s mind back to the present. He said, “Who?”

“The children. They rarely speak to me but sometimes I see them watching. It’s … unnerving.”

About Stella Riley

Readers’ Favorite award-winning author and B.R.A.G. Medallion honoree Stella Riley trained as a teacher in London and now lives in Kent. She enjoys Amateur Dramatics, dancing, reading and travel. She is fascinated by the English Civil Wars and has written six books set in that period. She loves the extravagant fashions of the mid-Georgian period, likes men with long hair and her current passion is for Baroque harpsichord music.

The first 5 books of the Rockliffe series (recommended in The Times newspaper!) are also available in audio, narrated by Alex Wyndham. And Rockliffe Book Six – CADENZA – is currently available for pre-order and will be released on November 22nd.

I am a huge fan of Stella Riley and have read and reviewed all the books in the series bar this one, which I am keeping to read over the Christmas holidays. Her books are beautifully written, with memorable characters, well-plotted stories and captivating romances. I can definite recommend this series.

I love your style! And you will love this series. So please do make time to read it. I’ve read, loved and reviewed each book. All are uniquely different, although the Duke of Rockliffe and his friends and family are always in evidence – like old friends. If you are an audio book fan (as I am) then you will LOVE Stella Riley’s narrator, Alex Wyndham. Happy ready, I’m almost jealous as you have the whole series to enjoy.

Thank you, Wendy! I really appreciate the feedback. And the recommendation for the series. It does sound quite intriguing. I’l pass on the audio books, though. I haven’t gotten caught up in that yet, preferring to be able to read at my own pace. 🙂

I agree with the above – to fully enjoy Cadenza, you’d best read the whole series in order. The web of friends and relatives of the Rockliffe circle is best enjoyed if you know their background from the subsequent books. I am a fan of Stella Riley and have read/listened to all her books. A great experience! I very much enjoy the setting in the Gregorian era which is much less frequent in historical romance than Regency. And the hero in this book, Julian, is really unique and loveable.